Friday, January 2, 2015

Movie Review: 71

A
soldier stuck alone in the midst of a raging war. Fighting for survival.
Bullets, bombs and blood. It’s been done before, most recently in Behind Enemy Lines and The Raid. It’s just never been done
before in such a brutally beautiful fashion. 71 is not your typical Hollywood action thriller. It’s a fresh new
way of action movie making, bringing in a grim neo realist style and narrative,
while still retaining that ‘holy crap that was awesome’ popcorn entertainment
vibe.

71 stars Jack O’ Connell (from the
incredible drama thriller Starred Up)
as Gary Hook, a British soldier sent to Belfast during the infamous 1971 unrest
named ‘The Troubles’, where Catholics and Protestants lunged at each others’
throats. The UK controlled North Ireland is at civil war against the
independent South Ireland, with Belfast being the eye of the storm. The city is
in complete violent chaos much like in Black
Hawk Down, and just like in that movie Hook is separated from his unit
after a mob overpowers them, and is left to his own devices.

Director
Yann Demange’s camera follows Hook sprinting like a mad dog trying to hold on
to dear life in the most dangerous section of Belfast, The Flats. The film is
structured like one big chase scene, which makes it particularly exciting and
gives the filmmakers a chance to incorporate some balls to the wall rain soaked
thrills. As the crazed members of the IRA hunt him down Hook hauls from one set
piece to the next, tearing up a piece of his body at each skirmish.

The
atmosphere in the movie makes 71 even
more suspenseful that its story is supposed to render. Tat Radcliffe’s
cinematography whips out a bleak escalating nightmare rife with cynicism. The
assortment of shots provides a complete view of the action and has just enough
close-ups to give the characters and the setting depth and detail. On paper
there is little scope to make a chase scene at night different from what we’ve
seen before, but the filmmakers somehow capture visually appealing and
interesting angles that catch you off guard.

The
visuals are beautifully balanced by David Holmes’ minimalist electronic music
that intensifies the tension to unexpected levels. It’s a straight graph of ever-increasing
dread and at some points 71 even
becomes a horror film. Hook’s situation feels real and that's what makes the
film so potent. There isn’t a moment to breathe, when it comes to pacing few
films this year have been as volatile as this one.

O’Connell
really is quite fantastic in his role. He pours every ounce of emotion into
Hook, and the payoff is massive. Every wound he suffers makes you cringe
because he’s so darn good at transferring the energy from the screen towards
you. The same goes for the rest of the cast, particularly Sean Harris as the
dodgy captain of the police. Harris doesn't need to utter too many words to
exude fear – you know he’s a scumbag at the onset. The politics of Ireland are
not very clearly explained but your heart goes out to the young men in the film
being led to join the extremist camps. Both child actors Corey McKinley and
Barry Keoghan are terrific as troubled kids trying to find a way of life. The
former is hilarious and it’s a shame he has only a tiny role. But even with the
woes of civil wars depicted in the movie nothing is blazingly overwhelming - you
can see the machination going on between the IRA, the British Army and the
civilians but the focus is always on whether Hook would get the out of the
hellhole. At 99 minutes 71 is cut to
perfection, and it’s entertaining as hell. It’s been making the rounds at the
festival circuit and it absolutely deserves a full-fledged theatrical worldwide
release.